HAS FEAR GRIPPED MPS?

LOBAMBA – Are Members of Parliament (MPs) gripped by fear now? This question arose during the first sitting of the House of Assembly which took place yesterday.

The sitting was focused mainly on thanking His Majesty King Mswati III for his presence during the official opening of Parliament, where he delivered the Speech from The Throne.
 Deputy Prime Minister Paul Dlamini moved a motion calling for the House to select a committee that would go and thank His Majesty for the speech.

When the turn for the MPs to make their submissions came, Matsanjeni  North MP Phila Buthelezi was the first to speak and instead of focusing on the speech, he requested the speaker to give them assurance that they were safe when making submissions in the House.

“I had thought that since we have just returned and the speaker is welcoming us, he would at least start by giving us assurance that we are safe here. I say this because we have heard stories lately which have made us worry. As I am standing here, I am not sure,” Buthelezi said.

Even though he did not mention any incident, it is a known fact that currently there is tension in Parliament following an issue involving the Prime Minister, Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, and Nkwene MP Sikumbuzo Dlamini.
The latter irked the PM during a sitting at the end of last year, where he made accusations about the head of government.
This led to the PM retaliating against the MP.

The issue became serious recently when it was reported that the PM had taken it to his lawyers, who have since written a letter to the MP to repeat all that he said outside Parliament this time.
Buthelezi was still emphasising his point, stating that he found it proper that the speaker assured them that they should not be deterred by ongoing issues when he was stopped dead on his tracks.
The speaker first asked the MP if he would talk about the topic on the Order Paper or he had moved to something else.

He then assured the MPs that all of them were safe so long as they were inside the chambers. “You are all protected in this House, unless of course you go and talk issues outside,” said the speaker.
As the MPs continued to make their submissions, it became clear that they were worried about the state of teamwork in the House, as they emphasised that it was needed as the perfect way to ensure the success of all government plans.

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